Just Visiting
by OTP324B21
Summary: Recovering from her respiratory sickness, Cosima and Delphine head to San Francisco for some R&R staying with the Niehaus's.
1. Chapter 1

_Drip_

_Drip_

Cosima felt herself being pulled out of a light slumber by a sporadic drip of water onto various locations of her bikini-clad body. She slowly became aware of the fact that her precious sunlight was being blocked and as she opened her eyes, she found wavy blonde hair and a smiling face leaning over her. Rubbing her eyes, she took in the just slightly blurred edges of the woman's face, her glasses setting on the table beside her chair with her cell phones. She couldn't stop herself from smiling back. "Hello, Gorgeous." She accepted a soft kiss that was presented to her. "You're totally blocking my rare opportunity for a suntan."

"Bonjour, mon rayon de soleil." Delphine sat down on the seat beside the woman, her body still beaded with the crisp chlorinated water. "You do not need the suntan, Cosima." She ran her fingertip over the forearm that was already taking on a golden hue. "You are beautiful already."

A genuine smile spread across Cosima's face. "Thank you, but I know you're just biased." She pulled the woman over to her own reclined chair, not happy until the woman was spread out beside her. "Hey, Doc." She ran her hands through the wet hair, sorting out the tangles.

Delphine couldn't resist being this close to her. She caressed the woman's jaw line, tracing the soft lips with a fingertip before leaning forward to kiss her again. There was no resistance from the brunette and she allowed the gentle kiss to turn aggressive and demanding.

Cosima locked her fingers in the blonde hair and wrapped her other arm around the woman's waist, pulling her closer. She returned the woman's kiss fully, gently raking her fingernails over the woman's hip. She growled against the soft lips, tangling her legs with the long, lean limbs, wanting more.

Neither woman expected the wave of cold water crashing over their bodies.

Cosima sat up sputtering, wiping the water from her eyes. She glared at the medium-height man who had a smile that reached all the way to his grey sideburns. He held a now empty bucket as he laughed. "Oh my god, Dad."

Mr. Niehaus's laugher continued. "You girls looked like you could use some cooling down." He tossed the bucket into the nearby grass with a final chuckle. "Your mother sent me out to announce lunch is ready." He headed back into the house, still laughing silently.

"Oh my god, Delphine..." She looked at the blonde and saw the woman had both hands firmly over her mouth and was holding back the laughter. "That was totally not funny!" She stood up and grabbed the towel from the table, dabbing away the water. "I totally just got high school flashbacks."

Still laughing, Delphine stood up and captured the shorter woman around the waist, leaning down for a quick kiss. "Get caught a lot in high school?"

A blush coloring her cheeks, Cosima slipped on a sleeveless tunic dress before checking her phones. "Maybe once or twice..." Cosima gave the blonde her usual coy smile she gave when she was trying to be mysterious.

Delphine had slipped on a pair of short jeans shorts and a tank top, towel-drying her hair. "So should I feel jealous?"

Sliding on her glasses and everything into her messenger bag, Cosima gave her a genuine smile, slipping a finger in the loop of her jeans, pulling her closer. "Oh believe me. Jimmy Newman had nothing on you and neither did Becky Christiansen." She raised to her toes so the blonde wouldn't have to bend down so far, kissing her softly. "C'mon, before my dad comes back out here." She grabbed her bag with one hand and pulled the blonde toward the main house with the other.

Mrs. Niehaus was in the process of filtering the iced tea when the younger women entered. "Oh good, you're still in one piece. When your father came back in here laughing his silly head off I was actually a little scared." She made a quick and efficient task of dropping the sweet lime slices in the pitcher and handing it off to her daughter. "Table please. Your father is in the smoking room if you would like to join him."

Cosima flashed her winning smile at the blonde who looked at her knowingly as she set the pitcher on the table. "I'm actually getting over a chest cold so I'm taking it a little slow." When the words left her mouth she knew she should have chosen a different lie by the way her mother's body froze.

"Chest cold?" The woman stopped what she was doing. "How long ago was this? How bad was it?" She pulled a stethoscope out of one of the kitchen drawers, hold up a finger to stop any protests. "Are you experiencing any shortness of breath? How is your sleeping?"

Rolling her eyes, Cosima took a deep breath when told to, feeling her chest tighten just slightly and hoping she didn't have a coughing fit. "I'm fine, Mom. That's why we're here. I'm taking it easy for a bit."

Mrs. Niehaus narrowed her eyes at the woman, hearing a rasping in her daughter's chest. "Did you get a chest x-ray? God knows if those Minnesota doctors are competent in any way..."

Capturing the woman's hands, Cosima smiled softly. "I'm fine. Really." She pulled the woman into a hug, giving Delphine an apologetic look over her shoulder.

The older woman gave her a soft look. "You know I worry about you, so far away from us. You were always a sick child."

Cosima rolled her eyes. "I was not always sick. You were just convinced I was dying every time I sniffled." She held her mom at arm's reach. "I love you, but sometimes having a doctor as a mother is a pain in the ass." She smiled to keep the bite out of it. "I'm fine."

"You know I just worry about you." Mrs. Niehaus gave her a worried smile.

"I know." She looked over at Delphine who was watching the scene with that ridiculously cute puppy dog look on her face. "You...stop giving us that look."

Delphine smiled, her palms pressed together, she pressed her steepled fingers to her lips. "You and your mother...C'est un tel spectacle étonnant." She paused for a minute to think about the words. "It is beautiful to watch."

Cosima rolled her eyes as she set out the glasses. "You guys are totally whack." She saw the look on Delphine's face and grinned. "Hah...don't know that one, huh?" She set the glasses out, laughing softly to herself.

"You are such a brat." Delphine bumped her softly.

Mrs. Niehaus watched the two women set the table. It was cute, really, the way they almost danced around each other, exchanging casual touches and looks. She had, of course met a few of her carefree daughter's partners, both male and female, but usually it was a bit more awkward, and almost tense. She never thought her daughter was very serious about any relationship, which had worried her in the past. This however, was significantly different. "How did you two meet again?"

Cosima paused for a minute. "At school. She was in the lab doing some work and I was working on my case studies."

"I had to leave and left some paperwork behind in which your daughter chased me down to return." Delphine added. They had decided to stick as close to the truth as possible, keeping out any mention of clones and monitors. "A few days later we ended up going to a lecture together. She was so charming that I was instantly drawn in."

"Hah!" Cosima interrupted the blonde's story. "I was not charming. I insulted the lecturer and she called me a brat. Then I may have stole some wine from the meet and greet and we bonded over being chased down." She grinned at her mother who rolled her eyes.

Mrs. Niehaus handed her the plate of sandwiches. "You are a brat. You were always smarter than your peers and never afraid to show it." She smiled at the blonde before retrieving a tray of bowls from the fridge. "I blame her father. He's always given her everything she wanted growing up. The curse of being the only child I think."

Delphine took the tray from her and brought it to the table. "I can definitely see that side of her." She watched Cosima placing the bowls in front of each seat and followed suit.

"I'm totally right here, guys!"

"And it took you a long enough time to visit." Mr. Niehaus entered the room. He pulled his daughter into a hug. "And then you come visit us and spend all your time trying to make lesbian babies by the pool."

"Dad!"

"Richard!"

"Oh my god." Cosima pushed Delphine into a chair. "Ignore him."

Laughing, Mr. Niehaus took his normal seat at the head of the table. "So, Delphine. Are you a student at UofM as well?"

Pouring the glasses of tea, Mrs. Niehaus bumped her husband playfully. "They were just telling me about how they met."

"And then somehow branched into telling me how spoiled I was." Cosima dropped into the chair beside Delphine, grabbing one of the finger sandwiches from the tray and inspecting it to see what sort of concoction was hidden between the white bread slices.

"Stop that." Mrs. Niehaus gave Cosima a familiar look. "Always picking things apart. It's just crab salad."

Giving her a suspicious look, Cosima sniffed it. "There's no mustard in here is there?"

Mrs. Niehaus put down the pitcher and gave her daughter a questioning look. "Who would put mustard in crab salad?" She gave Delphine a smile. "I asked Cosima if you had any food aversions or allergies. We normally live a close to vegetarian lifestyle around here but we're not adverse to cheating."

Delphine smiled. "No allergies and I was raised to eat anything that was put in front of me, but this... This is very beautiful."

"Thank you. It's chilled avocado soup with crab and yogurt." Mrs. Niehaus pointed a spoon at her chewing offspring. "This one refused to eat anything yellow growing up but put anything green in front of her and it would disappear in minutes."

"Yellow?" Delphine rose her eyebrows. She looked at Cosima who was poking around in her soup for bits of crab.

Cosima shrugged as she swallowed a spoonful of the soup. "I had a theory relating yellow food to yellow caution signs for toxic waste." She smiled at the blonde who laughed and continued to consume the soup. It was light and refreshing and reminded her of a lot of lunches growing up. "This is great, Mom. Thanks."

The older woman smiled proudly. "Thank you." She picked up a sandwich for herself. "Your father and I are going out after lunch. We have plans with Chuck and Betty Christiansen. You remember their daughter Becky, right?"

Cosima coughed as she nearly inhaled the green soup. She looked at Delphine who was giving her a concerned look. "I'm fine." She gave her mother a look. "Thanks, Mom. Thanks a lot."

"Well." Mrs. Niehaus gave the blonde a wink. "What's the point in having children if you can't torment them once in a while."


	2. Chapter 2

Cosima closed the door and leaned against it, watching as Delphine poked around her childhood room. "My parents are so subtle."

Delphine smiled as she picked up a picture of a very young Cosima wearing an oversized lab coat and showing off a medal. "Aw, mon petite cherie. You were so cute." She set it back down and looked at one of the several trophies on a case near the desk. "Your parents are very loving." She smiled at the shorter woman. "You are very lucky."

Cosima shrugged, pushing herself off the door and over to where Delphine was poking around. "So, my parents are gone for the afternoon, we're on vacation, and I'm not dying." She grabbed the edge of the blonde's shorts, pulling her close. "We haven't had any life or death situations in the past 2 days. I think this deserves a celebration, don't you?"

Caressing her cheek, Delphine smiled at her before leaning down for a kiss. It was soft and brief and she pulled away, tracing the soft lips with her fingertips. "Every day with you is a celebration for me." Another brief kiss. "Savez-vous combien Je t'aime?"

Smiling, Cosima pulled her down for another kiss. "I know."

Delphine gave her a surprised look.

With a laugh, Cosima unfastened the woman's jeans, letting the material slip down long legs. "What can I say? It only took a month knowing you before I picked up a copy of French for Dummies." She pulled the woman down for a deeper kiss, not pulling away until they were both gasping for breath. "And you know I love you too right?" She slipped the woman's tank top up and off, letting it drop to the floor. "It's completely indescribable, how in love with you I am."

Delphine captured the woman's face in her hands, kissing her gently. "I love you." She confirmed in English. She slipped the woman's dress up and over her head, letting it fall to the ground. "You are breathtaking." She ran her fingertips down the woman's side, pulling her closer.

Cosima pushed her onto the bed, straddling her lap. She rested her arms on the woman's shoulders, using her temporary height advantage to good use. Strong hands caressed her back, finding the laces of her bikini and quickly removed the offending barrier. Suddenly her world twirled as she found herself pinned to the bed, the long length of the woman's body pressing against her as she felt a soft chuckle against her lips.

A little over an hour later, Cosima was curled against the woman's side, tracing patterns against the woman's abdomen. She felt the shudder run through the woman's body and hugged her closer. "Have I told you lately just how good you've gotten at that?"

Delphine released a short laugh, reaching up to wipe away the tears that always overcame her. "I had an expert teacher." She brushed her lips across the woman's forehead.

Cosima laughed at that. "Expert?" She rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up onto her elbows, giving the blonde an amused look. "You know that's pretty close to saying I'm kinda slutty." She grinned at the woman's shocked face. "Just kidding." She leaned forward for a kiss. "I know what you meant." The next kiss was interrupted by the sound of a ringing phone. "Oh no..." She let her head drop the rest on the woman's chest.

The phone rang again and Delphine sighed as well. "You must get it."

"I'm on vacation." She growled softly.

"I know, mon cherie." Delphine kissed her forehead. "But you must still answer."

Cosima groaned as she reached for the pink phone that was sitting on her bedside table. She looked at the caller and rolled her eyes. "Hello?"

"Oi Cos! You were supposed to call once every two days so we know you're safe." The harsh British accent poured out of the phone.

"I'm on vacation, Sarah." Cosima smiled at the blonde, running her fingertips over the smooth expanse of the pale abdomen.

"That doesn't matter!" There was a perturbed response. "Cos, both Alison and Beth knew their monitors for years."

Cosima rolled her eyes, her fingernails gently raking over the blonde's hip. "I'm well aware of this, Sarah."

"Then you know there's a big chance someone in your home town could be a monitor."

"I'm not exactly partying up the town." Cosima wiggled a little closer to the woman. "The only people I've seen are my parents and Delphine."

There was a pause on the phone before a higher voice responded. "Who goes on vacation to just lay around the house all day?"

Cosima grinned. "Hello to you too, Alison." Despite not wanting to be on the call, there wasn't anything that could really put her in a bad mood right now.

"We just want you safe, Cosima."

Alison sounded a little worried and Cosima was starting to feel a little bad before a hand slipped around her waist, nails raking over her skin and leaving a path of fire. "I'm safe. Really. We haven't really gone out since getting here. Just a lot of...lounging around the pool and stuff." She grinned up at Delphine who gave her a knowing look. "No one except my parents know I'm here. Just relax." She looked down as she felt teasing fingertips making small circles as they slid down the center of her abdomen. "I'll be fine. I'm nice...nice and safe." She arched her back into the woman's touch as it became more intimate. "I'll talk to you guys in two days." She hung the phone up and dropped it to the ground, capturing the woman's hand and pressing it closer to her. "Brat."

"Oui." Delphine agreed. "I can stop..." She began to pull away.

"No!" Cosima growled, pulling her closer and showing her just how much she needed the blonde's touch to continue.


	3. Chapter 3

Delphine could feel consciousness tugging at her like an incessant child, pulling her out of a pleasant dream involving Cosima, ice cream, and the Eiffel tower. When she opened her eyes, she could tell it was late, the sun shining in the window far brighter than it really should be. Cosima was gone and had been for a while judging from the cold bed and she felt a brief wave of panic that sent her searching for her phone. Of course they'd turned their phones off last night so they could sleep in. "Merde." She cursed as she scrolled through the two missed calls and several text messages. She turned the ringer back on before shooting off an apologetic message to Cosima who was apparently at the market.

Although she didn't mind sleeping in on occasion, she always felt disoriented when she did. She made a quick task of washing her face and changing, pausing to make the bed and pick up some of the clothes Cosima had left on the floor after changing. It was a common routine despite the not so common surrounding. She loved the short brunette, but sometimes she was worse than a child when it came to some things like tossing her clothes everywhere. Not sure of what else to do, Delphine headed downstairs, descending slowly as she admired the many photos on the wall of family photos. Looking at a picture of a young and bright Cosima at the beach, she nearly jumped out of her own skin when a phone rang.

"Hello?"

Delphine recognized the voice of Cosima's mother immediately.

"I told you not to call me on this line."

There was an odd panic in the older woman's voice that made her stop and pay attention.

"No…No…they're gone." There was a pause that lasted for nearly an entire minute. "She says it was just a chest cold."

Delphine felt a chill run down her spine.

"I could hear fluid in her lungs." There was a pause. "No of course she won't." Another pause. "I'll try again but you know there's no forcing her if she doesn't want to."

It took everything Delphine had in her to stay where she was. She wanted to grab their stuff, find Cosima, and escape.

"No I'm not going to do that. I'll ask again…" The sound of a car arriving caused the woman to stop briefly. "She's back, I have to go."

Delphine hard the phone beep and quickly ran back upstairs, glad the carpet muffled her steps. When she got to Cosima's door, she opened it and closed it a little louder than necessary, turning to head down the stairs at what she hoped was a relaxed pace.

emerged from the den. "Oh Delphine! I had no idea you were here. I though you want with Cosima."

"Non." Delphine gave her an exasperated look. "It seems I was more tired than I thought. I just woke up to find her gone."

"It's the sun and swimming. It just zaps all the energy out of you." The oldest woman gave her a tight smile.

The front door swung open forcefully, revealing Cosima struggling to carry about 20 bags.

"Cosima!" Delphine quickly jumped forward to help only to be refused by the shorter woman.

"No!" She swung away from the helping hand. "I got this." Cosima grinned widely as she made her way into the kitchen. Setting it down on the prep table, she rubbed the red marks on her arms, giving the blonde a triumphant grin. "Morning, sleepyhead." Pulling the taller woman close by the edge of her jeans, she rose up to her toes, brushing their lips together softly. The kiss was cut off by her father entering the kitchen carrying a large box that clinked when he set it down. "You owe me twenty bucks." She exclaimed as she pulled away and pointed at her father.

"I didn't see you carry it in." He protested indignantly. "For all I know Delphine helped you when you got to the door." He started pulling out wine bottles, inspecting each label and bottle.

Cosima put her hands on her hips, giving him an outraged look. "No way, Man! She did not!"

"What? You saw her with both arms full of bags and didn't help her?"

Delphine's jaw dropped. "But…"

"Oh stop harassing the woman, Richard." Cosima's mother entered and started poking around the bags.

"She tried to help, but I told her no." Cosima leaned against Delphine, having missed her presence in the two hours she'd been gone. "C'mon old man. Fork it up." She held her hand out, not happy till her father unhappily took out his wallet and handed her a twenty. "Thank you, good sir. Fabulous doing business with you." She looked at the blonde and just then noticed an odd look on her face. "Hey, are you okay?"

Delphine tilted her head slightly. "I am ok, but I have a bit of a headache. I could also go for a bagel or something."

Cosima paused before nodding. "Yeah, ok." She smiled. "Hey guys we're gonna head out for a bit. Delphine's hungry."

"You don't have to go out. I can make you something." offered.

Cosima shook her head. "It's cool. I wanna show her some of my old hangouts."

They drove for a few miles in silence, neither saying anything. Cosima glanced at Delphine in worry. The truth was, the blonde hated bagels. She thought they were an insult to baking, preferring instead softer, flaky breads like croissants. Cosima didn't enjoy them any more either after surviving nearly an entire month in her early college years on just bagels alone. No, "bagels" was their code word. They had settled on something ordinary enough to not be noticed by others, but out of character enough to be noticed by each other.

Pulling into the parking lot of a deserted park, Cosima excited the car first, pulling her coat tight against the wind that chilled her right to the bone. She heard the blonde following her and led the way to a bench, looking around to see they were alone. When Delphine sat beside her, she took a shuddering breath, feeling everything crashing down on her in an instant. "I should have just kept my mouth shut." Cosima leaned forward, holding her head in her hands. "I tempted the fates yesterday with that stupid comment about not being chased for two days." She took another shuddered breath. "What happened?"

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Delphine described the call she had heard, including the tones of fear and panic in her mother's voice. When the woman didn't say anything, Delphine tried to comfort her. "It is not solid proof of anything, Cherie."

"I know that." Cosima pulled away, standing up and pacing. "I'm so sick of not being able to trust anyone."

Delphine stood and captured her around the waist, pulling her into a hug. "What do you want to do?"

Cosima sniffled, reveling in the warmth surrounding her. "I need to know, Delphine." She leaned against the strong frame, her arms slipping under the woman's coat and hugging her. "Part of me wants to just say forget this, sever all ties to everyone I've ever known." She shook her head, resting her ear against the warm chest. "But they're my family."

"Oui." Delphine rubbed her back, wishing she could do more. There was no way she could even begin to imagine how she felt. "Whatever you want to do, I will help." She placed a kiss against the woman's forehead. "We must tell Sarah and Alison."

"No!" Cosima pulled back, shaking her head furiously. "They'll just tell me to leave. They'll tell me it's too dangerous to be here, but I can't just leave." She reached up and wiped away a tear slipped out. "I can't just leave without knowing for sure that they're a part of this."

Delphine's brow furrowed. "Lies have not gotten us very far, ma Cherie."

Another head shake. "This is different. I'm not lying. I'm just not telling them. We don't know for sure they're involved." Cosima locked her eyes with the ones studying her. "Just give me two days to find out what's going on. Then we can go back."

With a worried look, Delphine caressed her cheek, leaning forward and kissing her lightly. "Two days." She sighed softly, still unsure. "Until then, do not go anywhere without me, d'accord?"

"D'accord, obvs." Cosima confirmed.


	4. Chapter 4

As it turns out, pretending like nothing weird was going on was much different around family than it was with neighbors and at school. Cosima downed her third glass of wine and watched her father chatting with Delphine as he grilled some vegetables. Delphine looked almost at home sipping from a bottle of water, her hair messily pulled up into a loose and wild bun as she wore one of Cosima's old t-shirts with the sleeves rolled up. They were in what looked like a serious discussion about possibly biology or possibly hunting as she used her free hand to make some sort of gesture Cosima couldn't translate.

"I don't remember you being such the drinker."

Cosima looked up as her mother refilled her glass before sitting down across from her at the picnic table. "I don't normally." She smiled. "But I'm at home, so what's the harm?"

There was a silence between them as they both watched their significant others through the hazy smoke. "So...it's been about four years since you've brought someone home, and I've never seen you so...attached to someone." The older woman sipped her own wine as she switched her observation to the tall blonde woman. "How serious is this one?"

As if sensing the eyes on her, Delphine looked her way and Cosima smiled, watching it returned fully but briefly before Delphine returned to her conversation, occasionally casting quick glances her way. "I can't imagine life without her anymore." She looked up at her mom and she couldn't help wondering just what was curiosity, or if the woman was doing research. "We've been through a lot and it's good to have someone I can trust completely and lean on."

"Don't forget us." Her mother spoke up after a silent moment. "Your family is always here to talk to if you need us, Cosima."

With as much of a smile as Cosima could muster, she took a sip of her wine. "I know, but it's different with her."

Cosima's mother rolled her eyes, nodding. "I know, I know." She gestured towards her husband and Delphine. "Everything is different with love." She leaned in conspiringly. "You know, they did away with prop. 8 here."

Leaning back, Cosima gave her a shocked look. "Um...but...uh..." She looked over at Delphine who was giving her a worried look and was about to come over. Instead she waved her off, shaking her head slightly before turning to her mother. "I mean...it's been only 6 months."

"Are you saying that you'll feel differently in another 6 months? In a year?"

Taken aback slightly, Cosima stared into her wine. She wasn't supposed to be focusing on matters like this. She was supposed to be finding a way to establish if her parents were monitors or not, not thinking about proposals and marriage. "Yes." At her mother's questioning look, she smiled again. "Every day that goes by, I love her more than the previous day." She watched Delphine for a minute before returning her eyes to her mother. "What?"

Her mother hummed as she drank the rest of her wine. "Well...that was positively sappy." She shook her head in amazement and reached out to squeeze her offspring's hand. "I'm happy for you. You should definitely marry her. We'll have a grand ceremony here, invite all your cousins and friends. We can even invite Becky Christiansen so she can see what she's missing out on living with that silly boy she's married to now."

Cosima sighed softly. To be honest she didn't know how she even felt about marriage. She wasn't the kind of kid that imagined getting married when she grew up. She was always more focused on science journals than romance novels. It wouldn't be bad, marrying Delphine. The woman looked fantastic in white. The guest list would be horrendous. How could she get her family and friends in the same room as her clones? That is if her parents weren't monitors that were set on spying on her and ruining her life. She could feel the little joy the thought of marriage brought to her melt into sadness and let herself be distracted by that. When a hand landed on her shoulder she nearly jumped out of her skin. A familiar warmth surrounded her and she looked up as Delphine straddled the bench right beside her, her hip being hugged by the woman's thighs.

"Est ce que vous allez bien?" Delphine rubbed the woman's lower back.

With a small smile, Cosima nodded, leaning into the touch. "I'm fine."

Delphine tilted her head. "Es-tu sure?"

Another nod. Cosima looked at her mother who was watching with interest.

"Since when do you speak French?"

It was Delphine's laugh that answered. "Sorry. I do not mean to laugh, but Cosima does not speak French." She smiled at the shorter scientist who was giving her a wry look. "Non, she can understand some things, sometimes more than she lets on."

Cosima gave her a genuine grin. "Whenever she gets super excited or angry, it's like all French."

"But you don't speak it?"

Delphine and Cosima both shook their heads. "Non. Cosima sounds too much like an American and trips over every word." She smiled and kissed the woman on her cheek. "Drink water, okay? Do not forget we have plans after dinner tonight."

Cosima's mother sat up straight. "Plans?"

Before Cosima could answer, Delphine nodded. "Oui. I am afraid it is my fault but since this is my first time in San Francisco, Cosima has agreed to be a tour guide." She pat Cosima on the back, hoping the woman would not object to something they hadn't previously worked out. "She has promised me a night in the city with a view of the bridge and it's pretty lights and a tour of the prison island in the morning."

"Alcatraz." Cosima added wryly, nudging the blonde softly. She smiled at her mother. "Sorry, I can't believe I totally forgot. I don't even know what day today is."

"Well then, I'd hate to be the one to keep you girls from your date in the city. Let me see if your father is done burning that eggplant yet."

When the older woman was far enough away, Cosima turned to the blonde. "Um...something you forget to tell me?"

Delphine shrugged. "Is it too much to want you to myself for at least one night on our supposed vacation?"

Cosima smiled brightly, leaning forward to kiss her quickly. "No. I didn't know how much I needed that until right now."

Both women jumped when a plate of grilled vegetables was set on the table loudly.

"So! Your mother tells me you girls will be spending the night in the city?" Cosima's father set the second platter that contained grilled oysters.

"Oui. At the Mandarin." Delphine supplied.

Cosima's mother set a pot on the table along with a stack of bowls. When she lifted the cover, the hearty scent of cioppino filled the air. "That's a pretty pricy place."

Delphine smiled as she accepted a bowl for Cosima and a bowl for herself with the fish and seafood stew."This smells heavenly." She handed her partner a spoon. "It is only one night."

Cosima nodded, her mouth already full of soup-soaked sourdough bread.

"Well good." Cosima's father handed out small plates for the vegetables and oysters. "Go use all the hotel's hot water with your hour-long showers."

"Richard!"

Cosima began coughing as she nearly inhaled the bread.

Delphine felt the heat rising in her own cheeks as she pat Cosima on the back.


	5. Chapter 5

Cosima sat on the couch, flipping through an old furniture catalogue she'd found on the coffee table. She had showered, changed and packed a quick overnight bag and was just waiting for Delphine who had a ridiculously long hair regiment to go through whenever she wanted to get dressed up. She couldn't complain really. She loved the end result, but at the moment she was completely bored. Her lungs still felt a bit jilted from the soup incident earlier and she couldn't stop herself from coughing sporadically. She was at least glad she didn't taste any blood.

"Is that chest cold still bothering you? How long ago was it again?" Mrs. Niehaus sat on the one-seater that was perpendicular to her.

"A few weeks ago." Cosima lied. The truth was it was well over a month ago that they had come up with the treatment that had stopped the degeneration of her lungs. It had been a long month of breathing treatments and sleepless nights, but they'd pulled through. She still carried a nebulizer and a few bottles of the serum they'd created just in case of emergencies. She, of course, couldn't tell her mother that.

Mrs. Niehaus frowned. "I think you should really come by my office tomorrow." She held up a hand to stop the protests. "After your tours. I'll be at the office till 7. Surely you'll be done before that." She could see her daughter's hesitance. "I just want to take a few x-rays and make sure everything is ok."

Cosima looked up the stairs, wishing Delphine could come down and whisk her away so she could avoid the question. She didn't want to get tested on. What if it was a trap? What if Leekie would be waiting there for her? What if they tried to inject her with something?

Then it hit her. This was her family. She grew up not fearing confrontation. She was never one to run away. Even when she knew Delphine was her monitor, she faced it head on. This would be the best way to see if anything was going on. So instead of declining, she smiled. "Ok. Just to make you feel better, I'll stop by." She held up a hand at her mother's response. "No needles."

"But…"

"No." Cosima held firm.

Taken aback slightly at her daughter's firmness, Mrs. Niehaus blinked. "Ok…no needles." She smiled. "Just some x-rays…maybe an EKG…a swab or two…" She went over a mental checklist.

"Hey hey hey." Cosima interrupted her.

"Why all the shouting, ma Cherie?" Delphine appeared, setting the overnight bag down on the couch beside Cosima.

All speech was cut off as Cosima took in the sight of Delphine, her wavy blonde hair perfectly formed as if she'd stepped out of a salon. She was dressed not unlike when they first met, a white blouse tucked into a black skirt and the longer black coat that was Cosima's favorite. "Hey." Cosima grinned widely, standing up and being rewarded with a quick kiss. "You finally ready?"

Delphine caressed her cheek, nodding. "Oui. Let us go." She grabbed her bag and Cosima's bag, leading the way to the door.

Cosima rose a hand and waved at her mother but found her arm grabbed by the elder woman.

"Seriously, you need to marry that woman." Mrs. Niehaus commented softly for only her daughter to hear. "You're almost 30 and you will probably never find another person who is that smart, that beautiful, and completely in love with you."

Rolling her eyes, Cosima pulled away. "See you tomorrow, Mom."

It wasn't until they were in the car pulling away that Delphine brought up Cosima's mysterious conversation with her mother. "What was that all about?"

With a soft sigh, Cosima looked out the window, watching the other people on the street. "I agreed to go to my mother's office tomorrow for x-rays."

"Cosima!"

"I know I know." Cosima shrugged. "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to, but I would prefer if you were there. I mean, what's the harm in a few x-rays. We've taken a million of those over the past month. There's nothing she's going to find." She turned to look at the blonde who had a worried look. "I already told her no needles." She smiled softly. "You look very beautiful tonight."

Delphine's nostrils flared. "Thank you, so do you, but you cannot change the subject."

Cosima bit her bottom lip, grinning. "Sure I can." She ran her fingertips over the woman's jacket. "I don't want to think about what could happen tomorrow." She tugged on a lock of blonde hair. "I want to think about my genius girlfriend who managed to come up with an awesome idea so we didn't have to worry about monitors or tests or betrayal."

Delphine smiled. "Ok, but I am going with you, ma Cherie."

"I know." Cosima grinned knowingly, watching as the blonde drove. It wasn't long before they were out of the residential area and in the bright lights of the city. Cosima watched as familiar buildings went by. The museum she visited more than once, stores she'd shopped at.

Delphine cast a look at Cosima, smiling. The GPS indicated they were getting very close and she could feel a thrill running through her body. They had spent so much of the last 6 months researching and looking for a cure or in a fight helping Sarah find Kira. This entire vacation was supposed to be down time and here they were again caught in the mystery and drama.

She risked another glance at Cosima to find her watching her with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

The hotel was bigger than Cosima remembered. She'd never stayed there, but she remembered seeing it from the outside a few times. She smiled at the uniformed man who opened her door, offering her a hand as she stepped out. She grinned even wider when Delphine joined her, offering her hand. The long thin fingers wrapped around hers, pulling her inside.

She should have figured it out. When the front desk clerk lit up at Delphine telling her name, or the way the bell hop insisted on helping, she should have put it together. Of course she couldn't understand much of what was being said because for some reason the conversation was being held in French. People tended to do that when she was with Delphine and anyone who understood a word of French heard her accent. Apparently the concierge was fluent. She recognized the words for preparation and privacy but beyond that the conversation went too quickly.

The concierge opened the door for them and Cosima stopped in the doorway. "Holy shit."

The concierge smiled knowingly. "Let us know if there is anything we can do for you."

"Merci." Delphine pressed a bill into his hand, closing the door behind him. She wrinkled her face in distaste before leaning against the door, watching as Cosima moved to the center of the suite, turning in a circle. "Is it ok?"

"Holy shit." Cosima moved to the door for the terrace which was lit by a row of candles. The dusk sky was a light purple and there was a beautiful view of the bay and the bay bridge lit up in all its splendor. "Is it ok?" She asked incredulously.

Delphine moved and captured the woman around the waist, caressing her cheek softly. "I asked them for a room that had the most breathtaking view, but all I see is you."

Cosima leaned into the taller woman, their lips meeting in a tender exploration. The hand that caressed her neck sent a sensual wave through her and she found herself pressing closer. When Delphine pulled away, Cosima felt her knees buckle for a brief moment before she got ahold of herself.

"Come." Delphine pulled her out onto the terrace where there was a bucket with two bottles chilling, two flutes and a silver dome covered tray.

"Oooh secret munchies." Cosima lifted the cover to reveal a variety of sweets from chocolate covered strawberries to tiny bite sized cakes. She grinned as Delphine popped the cork on one of the bottles of champagne. "Why miss Cormier, if you are intending on getting me drunk and having your way with me, I think you're on the right path." She accepted the flute of Champaign.

Delphine laughed softly as she filed her own glass. "I do not think that would take much effort, ma Cherie."

"Well, look who's the cheeky one now." Cosima laughed. "Ok so do we need a toast?"

"Oh, oui." Delphine nodded looking down at her glass. "I know this is not the vacation we planned on, but it has already been the best one I have been on." She smiled. "It's funny because when I took the job as a monitor, I thought you were in danger and I had to save you. Really I was the one in danger and you saved me. If not for you I would still be stuck in there, not knowing what I was doing, and what I was missing out on." She cleared her throat. "Now I cannot imagine my life without you. You're on my mind all day, every day and you make it impossible to get any work done. In 6 months you have managed to become my entire world." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "What I am saying is thank you for making my life that much more relevant and amazing."

Their glasses clinked together and after a small sip, Cosima leaned forward for a kiss, deepening it by slipping her free hand behind the blonde's neck, pulling her down. "I love you." She whispered when they finally broke apart. "You did save me, remember? Without you, we wouldn't have come up with a cure and I would probably be dead by now." Cosima smiled. "I know exactly what you mean. When I'm not around you, I'm thinking about what to do with you when you get home. Even when I'm sleeping, I dream of you." She laughed softly at the ridiculousness of it. "So in case you were wondering, you're pretty stuck with me, because you're not the only one with a one track mind."

Another kiss and she smiled, leaning back against the woman as she looked over the bay. It really was a remarkable view. The gears in her head started turning as she sipped the crisp champagne. "This room had to be crazy expensive." She felt the woman behind her shrug. She looked down at the cakes and picked one up, sniffing it slightly before taking a bite. "Hmmmm." She offered the other half to the blonde who closed her lips around her fingers, nibbling the skin briefly. "Raspberry and white chocolate. Either they were really lucky guessing my favorites or someone specially ordered this."

"Maybe they were lucky." Delphine gave her an innocent look. "Raspberries and white chocolate are not so rare."

"True." Cosima nodded and picked up one of the strawberries, sniffing it before showing it to the blonde. "However, nutella dipped strawberries are not common in California."

Delphine couldn't hold back the smile and buried her face in the woman's shoulder. "Non. They really are not."

"Delphine." Cosima tilted her head to look in the woman's eyes. "When did you reserve this room?"

With a soft sigh, Delphine looked out over the bay. "Maybe a month ago or so right after you started reacting positively to the breathing treatments."

Cosima looked at her curiously. "So you had this planned all along. Do you mind if I ask why?"

Leaning back against the railing, Delphine bit her bottom lip. "Well, one night when you were sleeping I started thinking about us. I mean our entire relationship prior, there was the possibility of you dying." She paused to gather her thoughts again. "That was the first night that I could let myself believe that we had a future." She swallowed. "That night I realized that I had come to depend on you so much and I don't know what I would have done if I lost you." She sipped her champagne, her throat suddenly dry. "I didn't even know that I was holding back part of myself. I just…I was so scared of losing you and losing myself if you ever died."

"I'm not going anywhere, Delphine."

"I know, but you could have died. I could have lost you. I was so scared of losing you that I did not want to open myself up to that pain." She shook her head. "Merde, I am not making sense."

Cosima shook her head. "I understand what you're saying. I get it."

Delphine refilled both their glasses. "So on that night I decided I wanted to do something special." She smiled. "Because I do love you, so much that I wanted to let you know that I'm not holding back anymore." She felt the years that were threatening to spill. "Even if you get tired of my silliness eventually and leave, you've ruined me for anyone else because I will never stop loving you."

Cosima was silent for a minute, trying to decide on how she wanted to respond. She decided honesty was always the right course. "Good." She grinned at the shocked look. "You're mine." She dipped her finger into the edge of the blondes skirt, pulling her forward. "As long as I'm alive I don't want you thinking about anyone else." She brushed her lips against the blondes. "You know I've never really been one to think about long term relationships. For me it's always been carefree…casual…whatever. I never thought about marriage, or children, or growing old with someone." She grinned at the woman's suddenly intense gaze. "My mom actually got me thinking about it today. I could totally see the two of us as old ladies, me with blue hair, you with a horrible blonde dye job, sitting on the porch somewhere talking about how it's too damn quiet or how the neighbors are too damn loud." She grinned at the blondes laughter. "I'd be so up for that."

Delphine smiled, caressing her face. "That would be delightful." She brushed her lips across the woman's, enjoying the softness for a minute before pulling back. "Now, about this growing old together." She held up a small box.

Cosima looked down, blinking. "Holy watershed."


End file.
